Balearic – Rare Horse Breed of the Week

Today’s rare breed for the week comes from the island of Majorca off the southern coast of Spain. Unfortunately very few formal records have been kept on the Balearic Horse, they were geographically isolated & poorly managed.

Ancient but Ignored

One of the rarest breeds still alive today, the Balearic horse is of unknown, but ancient origin. The breed is distinctly different from other Iberian breeds, even those on neighboring Belearic islands. Some believe that the breed is descendant of the horses of Ancient Greece because of their likeness to the animals portrayed in Greek artifacts & art.

Their extreme isolation has kept them incredibly pure, but has also kept their numbers dangerously low.

Banned by Bureaucracy

Due to the lack of formal interest in this ancient breed & their mismanagement, they remain largely unacknowledged & undocumented to this day. Depending on who you talk to the Balearic is delicate & beautiful or a scrubby, roughly made pony.

Learning More

Be sure to check out our own Balearic page – we couldn’t find any official sites for the breed.

Have Pictures?

As of now we have very few images of the Balearic for our informative page on them. If you have images (or information about the breed) you’d be interested in sharing, please get in touch today.